N. Korea may be able to deliver nuke, Pentagon intel says

By Jethro Mullen. Barbara Starr and Joe Sterling, CNN

Updated 10:31 PM ET, Thu April 11, 2013

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released February 19 by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

Hide Caption

1 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

A picture released by the North Korean Central News Agency shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appearing without his cane at an event with military commanders in Pyongyang on Tuesday, November 4. Kim, who recently disappeared from public view for about six weeks, had a cyst removed from his right ankle, a lawmaker told CNN.

Hide Caption

2 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim is seen walking with a cane in this image released Thursday, October 30, by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

Hide Caption

3 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim sits in the pilot's seat of a fighter jet during the inspection.

Hide Caption

4 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

This undated photo, released Tuesday, October 14, by the KCNA, shows Kim inspecting a housing complex in Pyongyang, North Korea. International speculation about Kim went into overdrive after he failed to attend events on Friday, October 10, the 65th anniversary of the Workers' Party. He hadn't been seen in public since he reportedly attended a concert with his wife on September 3.

Hide Caption

5 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

A picture released by the KCNA shows Kim and his wife watching a performance by the Moranbong Band on Wednesday, September 3, in Pyongyang.

Hide Caption

6 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim tours a front-line military unit in this image released Wednesday, July 16, by the KCNA.

Hide Caption

7 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim poses for a photo as he oversees a tactical rocket-firing drill in June.

Hide Caption

8 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim watches a tactical rocket-firing drill in June.

Hide Caption

9 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

A North Korean soldier patrols the bank of the Yalu River, which separates the North Korean town of Sinuiju from the Chinese border town of Dandong, on Saturday, April 26.

Hide Caption

10 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

In this photo released Thursday, April 24, by the Korean Central News Agency, Kim smiles with female soldiers after inspecting a rocket-launching drill at an undisclosed location.

Hide Caption

11 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

A picture released Tuesday, March 18, by the KCNA shows Kim attending a shooting practice at a military academy in Pyongyang.

Hide Caption

12 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

A North Korean soldier uses binoculars on Thursday, February 6, to look at South Korea from the border village of Panmunjom, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War.

Hide Caption

13 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

A North Korean soldier kicks a pole along the banks of the Yalu River on Tuesday, February 4.

Hide Caption

14 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

A photo released by the KCNA on Thursday, January 23, shows the North Korean leader inspecting an army unit during a winter drill.

Hide Caption

15 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim inspects the command of an army unit in this undated photo released Sunday, January 12, by the KCNA.

Hide Caption

16 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim visits an army unit in this undated photo.

Hide Caption

17 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim inspects a military factory in this undated picture released by the KCNA in May 2013.

Hide Caption

18 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim visits the Ministry of People's Security in 2013 as part of the country's May Day celebrations.

Hide Caption

19 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

A North Korean soldier, near Sinuiju, gestures to stop photographers from taking photos in April 2013.

Hide Caption

20 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

North Korean soldiers patrol near the Yalu River in April 2013.

Hide Caption

21 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim is briefed by his generals in this undated photo. On the wall is a map titled "Plan for the strategic forces to target mainland U.S."

Hide Caption

22 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim works during a briefing in this undated photo.

Hide Caption

23 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

In this KCNA photo, Kim inspects naval drills at an undisclosed location on North Korea's east coast in March 2013.

Hide Caption

24 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim, with North Korean soldiers, makes his way to an observation post in March 2013.

Hide Caption

25 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim uses a pair of binoculars to look south from the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment, near South Korea's Taeyonphyong Island, in March 2013.

Hide Caption

26 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim is greeted by a soldier's family as he inspects the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment in March 2013.

Hide Caption

27 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim is surrounded by soldiers during a visit to the Mu Islet Hero Defense Detachment, also near Taeyonphyong Island, in March 2013.

Hide Caption

28 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim arrives at Jangjae Islet by boat to meet with soldiers of the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment in March 2013.

Hide Caption

29 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Soldiers in the North Korean army train at an undisclosed location in March 2013.

Hide Caption

30 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

In a photo released by the official North Korean news agency in December 2012, Kim celebrates a rocket's launch with staff from the satellite control center in Pyongyang.

Hide Caption

31 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim, center, poses in this undated picture released by North Korea's official news agency in November 2012.

Hide Caption

32 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim visits the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground, under construction in Pyongyang, in a photo released in July 2012 by the KCNA.

Hide Caption

33 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

A crowd watches as statues of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il are unveiled during a ceremony in Pyongyang in April 2012.

Hide Caption

34 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

A North Korean soldier stands guard in front of an UNHA III rocket at the Tangachai-ri Space Center in April 2012.

Hide Caption

35 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

In April 2012, Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket that broke apart and fell into the sea. Here, the UNHA III rocket is pictured on its launch pad in Tang Chung Ri, North Korea.

Hide Caption

36 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

– A closer look at the UNHA III rocket on its launch pad in Tang Chung Ri, North Korea.

Hide Caption

37 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

A military vehicle participates in a parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.

Hide Caption

38 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

North Korean soldiers relax at the end of an official ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un at a stadium in Pyongyang in April 2012.

Hide Caption

39 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Kim Jong Un applauds as he watches a military parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.

Hide Caption

40 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

A North Korean soldier stands on a balcony in Pyongyang in April 2012.

Hide Caption

41 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

North Korean soldiers march during a military parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.

Hide Caption

42 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Soldiers board a bus outside a theater in Pyongyang in April 2012.

Hide Caption

43 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

North Korean performers sit below a screen showing images of leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang in April 2012.

Hide Caption

44 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

North Korean soldiers salute during a military parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.

Hide Caption

45 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

North Korean soldiers listen to a speech during an official ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un at a stadium in Pyongyang in April 2012.

Hide Caption

46 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

Members of a North Korean military band gather following an official ceremony at the Kim Il Sung stadium in Pyongyang in April 2012.

Hide Caption

47 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

North Korean military personnel watch a performance in Pyongyang in April 2012.

Hide Caption

48 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

A North Korean controller is seen along the railway line between the Pyongyang and North Pyongan provinces in April 2012.

Hide Caption

49 of 50

Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military50 photos

A North Korean military honor guard stands at attention at Pyongyang's airport in May 2001.

Hide Caption

50 of 50

Story highlights

Congressman said he used declassified information

Ballistic missiles may be able to carry nukes, defense intelligence assessment says

N.Korea has not fully developed nuclear capabilities mentioned in report, Pentagon says

A missile was raised to an upright firing position, then lowered

The Pentagon's intelligence arm has assessed with "moderate confidence" that North Korea has the ability to deliver a nuclear weapon with a ballistic missile, though the reliability is believed to be "low."

Disclosed first by a congressman at a hearing on Thursday and then confirmed to CNN by the Defense Department, the assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency is the clearest acknowledgment yet by the United States about potential advances in North Korea's nuclear program.

The surprise development comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea has unleashed a torrent of dramatic threats against the United States and South Korea in recent weeks, including that of a possible nuclear strike.

The Obama administration calculates a test launch of mobile ballistic missiles could come at any time. But a senior administration official said there is no indication that missiles believed being readied for tests have been armed with any nuclear material.

Pentagon spokesman George Little said later Thursday, "It would be inaccurate to suggest that the North Korean regime has fully tested, developed, or demonstrated the kinds of nuclear capabilities referenced in the passage" of the DIA study.

That stance was echoed by James R. Clapper, director of U.S. national intelligence, who said the statement read by Rep. Doug Lamborn "is not an intelligence community assessment. Moreover, North Korea has not yet demonstrated the full range of capabilities necessary for a nuclear armed missile."

Lamborn, R-Colorado, read from a declassified version of the DIA assessment at a House Armed Services Committee hearing.

"DIA assess with moderate confidence the North currently has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles, however, the reliability will be low."

Is North Korea serious about military action or is it just testing the world?

A missile had been briefly raised to an upright firing position, stoking concerns that a launch was imminent, a U.S. official told CNN on Thursday. Later, another U.S. official said it had been tucked back into its launcher.

In more tough talk from Pyongyang, a government agency was quoted by the state-run media as saying that "war can break out any moment."

After meeting privately with Ban in the Oval Office, President Barack Obama called on North Korea to tone down the rhetoric.

"We agree now is the time for North Korea to end the kind of belligerent approach they have been taking and try to lower temperatures," Obama said during a photo opportunity. "No one wants to see a conflict on the Korean Peninsula."

Just Watched

Hyeonseo Lee: My escape from North Korea

Ban called on Chinese diplomats to "exercise their leadership and influence" with North Korea to reduce tensions.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, during an upcoming visit, will tell Chinese leaders that Pyongyang is, as one senior administration official said, "putting China's own interests at risk."

The United States wants Beijing to "stop the money trail into North Korea" and to carry a strong message to the North that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is China's goal, said the official and a senior State Department official.

The latest move by the North could signify that a much-feared launch is less imminent. It could also mean the government was testing the equipment.

The first U.S. official cautioned that the raising of the missile could have been just a trial run to ensure the equipment works or an effort to "mess" with the United States and the allies that are watching for a launch at any time.

So far, South Koreans -- who've heard the cross-border bombast before -- are taking the swagger in stride. Washington regards much of the North's saber rattling as bluster.

But no one is taking any chances as the daily clamor of threats from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's government shows no sign of letting up.

The official declined to specify what type of intelligence led the United States to conclude the medium-range missile -- a Musudan -- was in a firing position.

Life is generally continuing as normal in the region, however, despite the North's barrage of recent threats, which have included warnings to foreigners on the peninsula about their safety in the event of conflict.

South Koreans, who have experienced decades of North Korean rage and posturing -- and occasional localized attacks -- have gone about their daily business without alarm.

"South Korea has been living under such threats from the past, and we are always prepared for it," South Korean Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae told CNN Wednesday. He called the current climate "a very ordinary situation."

The difficulties at the Kaesong industrial zone, a key symbol of inter-Korean cooperation, are among the few tangible signs of the tensions.

Pyongyang repeated a threat to permanently close the industrial zone, which it jointly operates with the South, accusing South Korean President Park Geun-hye of putting the manufacturing complex at risk.

The South Korean government, meanwhile, urged Pyongyang to work to resolve the situation through dialogue.

"Pyongyang should come to the bargaining table immediately," Ryoo said.

North Korea has pulled its more than 50,000 workers out of the complex, which is on the northern side of the heavily fortified border that divides the two Koreas, and blocked personnel and supply trucks from entering it from South Korea.

In a statement reported Thursday by state-run media, the North Korean government said that what happens at the complex in the coming days "entirely depends on the attitude of the South Korean authorities."

The dangers posed by North Korea came up Thursday at a separate House Intelligence Committee hearing about worldwide threats.

Clapper said the United States believes the primary objective of Kim's bellicose rhetoric is to "consolidate and affirm his power" and to show he is "in control of North Korea."

Clapper said he doesn't think Kim "has much of an endgame" other than to get recognition from the world as a nuclear power which "entitles him to negotiation, accommodation and, presumably, aid."

But in a statement for the record before the committee, Clapper reiterated that the nation's "nuclear weapons and missile programs pose a serious threat to the United States and to the security environment in East Asia."

Since December, North Korea has put a satellite in orbit atop a long-range rocket; conducted a nuclear bomb test, its third since 2006; and claimed to be prepared for pre-emptive nuclear attacks on the United States, though most analysts believe it does not yet have that capability.

Its most recent nuclear test, in February, resulted in tougher U.N. sanctions, which infuriated Pyongyang, prompting it to sharpen its threats.

Annual military exercises in South Korea by U.S. and South Korean troops, which often upset the North, have added to the tensions, especially when the United States drew attention to shows of strength such as a practice mission by B-2 stealth bombers.